Maybe Memories
by Nocturnal Introvert
Summary: Robbie V. never really felt like he fit in living in a sleepy little town like Gravity Falls. That is, until he met Tambry. But when his new friend invites him to her birthday party, Robbie has to face meeting other kids from his school... And that's how he meets a certain lanky pre-teen with fire red hair and a braces filled grin.
1. Chapter 1: Fears and Introductions

Robbie V didn't generally consider himself easily scared; but at the moment not only was he scared, but he knew that the reason was probably completely unjustified. All he was doing was standing in front of his best friend's house holding a brightly colored gift bag, yet he was sweating like an accused criminal.

For a moment he wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Robbie took a deep breath and took a few steps toward the porch. And of course, just then, he remembered his fear. Interaction with other kids from his school.

No one in his grade other than Tambry so much as talked to Robbie. It didn't help that he was so shy and silent. But he didn't accredit his lack of friends to his introverted nature. He thought no one liked him because he was new to the town and they thought he was weird. In his mind, there were so many things to pick on; his clothes and appearance, for one. Not to mention that he now lived with his grandparents who tried their best to completely spoil him and smother him with affection. How could you seem cool when your grandmother still called you RobbieBear in front of your peers? He wasn't used to all these new people and new things. Robbie felt so out of place around the other kids in this town, who all seemed to know their place. Everyone besides Tambry, anyway.

Tambry herself was the type to flutter around social circles, silently listening to the childish pre-middle school gossip, which she later would spread via social media. She barely ever looked up from her DS for a minute, but one day she happened to look up long enough to see Robbie sitting alone at lunch, and within seconds she was sitting beside him, silently playing Animal Crossing. Her presence had been a bit strange at first, but as it reoccured over a series of days, which became weeks and eventually months, it was comforting and reassuring. Robbie no longer felt quite so out of place. Even though at the time they barely knew each other's names, he felt like he had a friend.

Now the months had gone by and they'd gotten to know each other, down to favorite colors, the faces they made when they heard something they didn't like, who they mained as while playing Smash Bros on Tambry's Wii, and many other general friend facts. Yet, when she'd given him the invitation to her party, Robbie had instantly thought of every excuse not to come.

It wasn't like he was necessarily afraid of the other kids. He was afraid of rejection. Back in his hometown he'd been an outcast, not by choice, but because the kids at home picked on his long curly brown hair and the fact that his clothes were always too small.

Now that he was in Oregon, and not living with his drug addict of a mother, he had a better haircut, any clothes he wanted, and a family that loved him and took good care of him, making sure he wanted for nothing. Yet, something in his mind still made him think he didn't have enough to be friends with people who actually... You know, were cool. Not that he didn't think Tambry was a cool person, but, to be honest, she had a lot of acquaintances and not too many friends.

As Robbie was thinking all this, he heard a car pull up behind him. Nervously, he finally made his way onto the porch, but not before glancing back and seeing a kid he knew from class, and an unfamiliar girl who looked... A bit odd.

"Thanks for the ride!" The girl said with a braces filled grin as she slammed the car door behind herself.

These two kids had no problem making their way to the porch with their presents, and only when they were beside him did Robbie notice he was still standing there staring.

"You gonna go in there or what?" The girl asked, bringing him out of his own little world.

"Uhh..." He stammered, feeling his face heat up with embarrassment.

The girl laughed, but it wasn't cruel or teasingly, it was just... A laugh. Robbie had never heard anything like it before. It was like... They had become friends just by him doing something awkward and now she was just happy because of him? He didn't know for sure.

"You're Robert, right?" The other kid asked. "I don't know if we've met really but hey, I'm Nate. I think we have reading class together."

"And I'm Wendy, nice to meet you Rob." The girl chimed in. Before he could reply, she had already swung open the door and ran inside, her fire red ponytails trailing behind her.

Nate shrugged and followed her inside at a more laid back pace, holding the door open for Robbie on his way in.

"How come I've never seen her before?" Robbie asked.

Nate looked confused for a moment. "Oh, Wendy? Well, she is only in fourth grade...so I guess you've just never run into her before."

"Then how do you know her?"

The other boy smiled. "My friend Lee is in her class. He failed fourth grade last year 'cause he refused to read out loud." He shook his head. "Hey, can I ask you something? Do you like just kinda hanging out in entry ways or are you actually going to come into the house sometime?"

With that, Robbie quickly followed in the direction of the redhead, Wendy, hoping to find Tambry as soon as possible.


	2. Chapter 2: Appearances

As the trio entered the house the heard the sound of laughter coming from not too far away. Wendy took off her shoes and started to walk towards the kitchen, but it was obvious that none of them really had any idea where to go.

Eventually they saw Tambry turn around a corner, her face lighting up when she saw them.

"Robbie, what took you so long? I thought you were going to help me set up." Tambry groaned, grabbing Robbie by the arm as soon as she caught sight of him. She began dragging him through her house, her mother's "Home Sweet Home" decorations and tan and white walls going by in a blurr.

Robbie flinched in surprise and opened his mouth to reply, but Tambry didn't give him enough time to even get a word out.

She glanced at him over her shoulder and noticed there were others tagging along. "Have you already met these two?" She nodded towards Nate and Wendy pointedly.

Wendy grinned in response, answering for him. "Yeah, we said hi to 'im. He's kinda weird but not that bad." She said with a shrug.

Robbie stared at her incredulously, still being dragged by Tambry.

"See, not so bad, right?" Tambry said, seeming smug. "I knew you'd make friends."

Robbie wasn't pleased that she'd brought up the topic of him being antisocial. Honestly, it embarrassed him. He already felt like everyone else was better than him, and now he felt that even more. He felt his face flush bright red, and, instinctively, he looked toward Wendy and Nate to try to read their expressions. Sadly, they looked just as they always did, Nate with a slight smirk, not ecstatic, but not sad, just mildly amused; and Wendy with a bright, wire-filled grin, her eyes alight. He couldn't tell if they'd even heard what Tambry said, but he didn't feel any more at ease.

While Robbie was still staring at the two newcomers, Tambry stopped suddenly, causing him to run into her and break from his aloofness. They were in front of a door, behind which was a flight of stairs. Robbie smiled a bit, knowing they lead to the basement they had affectionately dubbed their 'secret hideout'.

Having this connection with someone made him feel somehow superior to the others. Having Tambry as a best friend, and knowing his way around her house just made him feel somehow at home and welcome. He wondered if the other two knew Tambry as well as he did.

"C'mon you guys, we're all downstairs playing games." Tambry said quickly, ushering them toward the stairs.

"Sweet!" Wendy cheered, her face lit up in a way that reminded Robbie of an intense sugar high he'd had back in the second grade.

Every time she spoke Robbie couldn't help but find himself gawking at her wildly long legs, her freckles that made her face look dirty, and her messy straw-like hair. Her appearance was all sorts of awkward, but her personality just screamed some sort of warmth that drew him to her. Unlike Nate, who just seemed rather passive, she seemed really happy all the time. Robbie wished he felt the way she did. There was no way she had any sort of social anxiety like he did.

Robbie was in his own little world staring at her, but Wendy paid no mind, she was too busy basically jumping down the stairs to the basement, Nate following close behind.

Eventually Robbie shook himself out of it, blinking the impression of Wendy that was burned into his eyelids out of his sight. When he came to, he noticed Tambry glaring at him and tapping her foot.

"Robert." She said through clenched teeth.

Robbie had never seen her so irritated before. "What?" He asked, his eyebrows raised in shock and confusion.

"Would you stop acting weird, please. I know you're shy but you don't have to stare at people!" Tambry snapped, pushing him down the stairs. "I mean, I'm sorry, but if you want to make friends you need to just...be normal. Be yourself. People will love you how you are, I promise."

Robbie found himself blushing again. "I didn't mean to stare at them, I swear. Just...what is up with that redhead?" He asked.

Tambry shot him a look. "Wendy? What about her?"

"S-she...she's just….weird!" The boy stuttered, not knowing how to voice his thoughts. "She's got this weird look to her, yet her personality is kinda different, you know?"

His friend considered this for a moment before shrugging. "I guess I don't really know what you mean, but...I kinda see where you're coming from. She looks sort of like she'd be tough but she's super cheerful. If that's what you're saying."

Robbie nodded enthusiastically, glad she knew what he meant. "Exactly! Just...it's really odd to me is all. I promise it's nothing that weird." He sighed, finally calming himself down from the nervousness of meeting new people. "I guess I've just never met anyone that happy before."

"I get it, V." Tambry nodded. "Just...please try to enjoy, okay? It's my birthday and I wanna see my best friend happy."

Robbie smiled and hugged her briefly. "I know. Happy birthday, Tambry. I'll try my best to make it a good one."

"Thank you...Now, let's go down there and meet some more people, okay?"


	3. Chapter 3: Games Kids Play

As the two pre-teens walked down the stairs, Robbie's stomach began to churn; and it wasn't just due to the nearly overwhelming smell of snacks and hormones, nor the pulsing of the loud electronic music Tambry had playing. In the room were nearly all his peers, and he was nervous as all hell. Regardless of this, he tried his best to seem happy, just to appease Tambry.

"Hey guys, look who's here!" Tambry exclaimed as they got to the bottom of the steps.

Robbie's heart lurched as everyone looked their way, but he managed a half-hearted and timid wave.

One of the boys, someone he recognized from his class, a boy named Thompson who was slightly older than the rest of the class, looked up from playing Mario Kart and smiled at Robbie. "Hey, you're Robert! Tambry said you'd be here. Nice to see you." Just as he'd said that he got hit by a red shell, and as he looked back at the TV screen he frowned. "Oh man…" He muttered, shaking his head.

"See, they like you. I told you you'd be fine." Tambry whispered slyly.

Before Robbie could reply, a blonde girl ran over to Tambry and grabbed her arm, dragging her away, most likely while telling her a juicy piece of gossip, as Tambry instantly began to laugh.

Robbie, now alone, let out a quiet sigh and looked around the room. In one corner a group of kids was playing spin the bottle, only most of them were too embarrassed to actually kiss anyone. In the center of the room was a table full of snacks and a few kids playing and watching Mario Kart. The snacks looked tempting, but Robbie wasn't willing to walk in the middle of everyone just to get to them, so instead he took a seat on the empty couch, just barely far enough from the spin the bottle game to be comfortable. He decided he'd just sit and wait it out. He'd smile if Tambry walked by, but until then he'd just sit and watch Mario Kart from across the room.

After sitting and doing nothing for what seemed to be the longest time, Robbie heard what at first sounded like a shout.

"YES. Take that!" Someone was cheering.

As he looked over, he realized that the redhead from earlier was now sitting beside Thompson.

"Told you I'd win." Wendy laughed, throwing her controller on the ground in a somehow satisfied way.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't have won if you didn't hit me with a blue shell last minute…" A boy Robbie didn't recognize muttered.

For some reason, Robbie's face flushed a bright red while he watched Wendy celebrate her victory. He hated himself for it. How could he be this happy for her? It wasn't like they were friends; he had JUST pointed out how weird he thought she was. But something about her made him drawn to her. Maybe it was the red of her hair or the awkwardness of her long limbs...but whatever it was it made it impossible to stop staring at her.

All of a sudden, Robbie felt himself being looked at. He didn't realize he'd zoned out until now, but when he realized who he'd been looking at while he did, his blush grew an even darker red. Wendy had noticed his staring, and had began to stare back at him.

"You wanna play, Rob?" She called with a smile.

Robbie stammered for a bit, unable to decide what he wanted to do or say.

"There's no room for him. We only have four controllers. He can't play." The boy who'd just lost muttered.

Wendy shot him a glare, and the intensity of it shocked Robbie.

"Yeah well I was thinking you'd quit anyway, since you're such a poor loser." She snapped back at him. The fiery intensity in her eyes matched the red of her hair, and Robbie's jaw nearly dropped.

With a scowl, the boy threw down his controller and stalked away.

"So?" Wendy called to Robbie, her bright smile returning.

Robbie shook his head, trying to completely remove himself from his daze.

"Uh...sure...I'll play." He decided, standing up and walking over toward the TV. "I mean, I'm not very good I'm sure. I don't know how to play at all."

Wendy grinned. "It's alright! It's easy, I promise." She told him, picking up a controller and handing it to him. "Look, you press this button to go, and you use these to steer. If you press this one you'll break. And these two are to use the stuff you get. And this one is to pause if you need to."

Robbie nodded, trying to memorize all the controls. He took the controller and looked up at the screen. "So how do we start?" He asked.

"We're not gonna switch characters so you're going to be Mario okay? I'm Yoshi and these two are Peach and Luigi." Wendy told him. "They aren't very good though." She added in a whisper.

Robbie grinned and shook his head. All of a sudden, most of the anxiety and fear he'd felt when he got down here was gone. He wasn't panicky anymore or worried about being picked on or ignored. At least now he had someone to hang out with while Tambry was gone. He wouldn't be alone, and that was always good. But, at the same time, he was a little worried he might embarrass himself. It was obvious Wendy was really good at this game, and he didn't want to seem like a noob.

"Alright, so we'll go to Moo Moo Farm to start you out." Wendy announced, smiling at him. "It's super simple. Just don't hit the cows, as tempting as it is."

The other two players laughed a bit.

"Lets go." One of them said, looking at Wendy.

Wendy smiled and started the game. "Good luck." She told Robbie, holding out her hand.

Robbie seemed surprised at first, but grabbed her hand and let her shake it. Her hand was small and warm in his. Robbie wasn't very used to human contact, and it made him a little nervous...but also somehow happy.

It wasn't until he looked back up at the screen that he realized what she'd done.

With her left hand she was shaking Robbie's hand, but her right hand was still holding the controller and pressing A. The game had just started, and now Robbie was in last.

"Sorry dude! I just had to mess with you. You'll get me next time."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated anything lately...I've been super busy. My writing is really rusty, but I'm going to try my best to just keep going.**


	4. Chapter 4: Black Out

"I can't believe you just did that!" The kid sitting next to Wendy said, half-accusing, half-joking. He was holding back a grin, trying to psych her out that he was entirely serious, but he wasn't very good at it. While lacking in his expression, the insincerity and humor was shining through his eyes.

Not that Wendy even noticed. She wasn't phased by the accusing teasing. She shrugged, seemingly uncaringly. "Aw, it's no big deal. He'll catch up." She waved one of her hands dismissively, never taking her eyes off the screen, her entire being bathed in the faint electronic glow.

Robbie paid no attention to the conversation going on around him, despite the fact that it revolved around the game and how he was losing, he was too busy mashing buttons and trying in vain to catch up with the others. Instead, he ended up going backwards and falling off the road. At this point, if it were possible to be in an even worse place than last, he'd be there.

"Still, it wasn't very nice when it's the first time he's played." the boy retorted, shaking his head at Wendy, seemingly actually upset by the fact that she ignored his teasing.

"Oh, give me a break. No matter what, I was going to win anyway! I'm the best at this game. None of you guys even stand a chance. " Wendy laughed.

Robbie sighed, nearly ready to throw his controller to the ground in defeat.

After all that thinking about how he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Wendy, or any of Tambry's friends for that matter, she'd managed to embarrass him before he even got a chance to. He wasn't sure if she did it to be mean or funny or what, but he did know that he wasn't very pleased about it. Now he was stuck in dead last while all the others did laps around him. It wasn't really a big deal necessarily, but for someone who was terrified of public humiliation and not making friends, it was nearly mortifying. He wasn't sure what the others thought of him. Maybe they'd never want to play video games with him again. Maybe they thought he was a loser. Maybe Wendy was just asserting her dominance over him in both the social scene and video games. So many thoughts were going through his head, but despite being dead last and embarrassed about it, he couldn't stop looking over at Wendy. And he had a feeling it wasn't just because he was upset or angry with her.

The bass of the music, though it didn't bother him earlier, was now pulsing in his head. He felt like swelling waves of the ocean were rushing over him, dragging him under and lifting him back to the surface for just a moment before repeating the pattern. He suddenly wished Tambry listened to pop music. Maybe then it'd just feel more like he was in a shopping mall instead.

"One more lap." Wendy said with a smile, bringing Robbie forcibly into the real world. wendy was still in first, and it seemed as if she was preparing for her victory without having even won yet. It was obviously bothering the other players.

Robbie was still on his second lap, and obviously in last, with no help from his zoning out.

He could feel the tension in the air, and began to wonder at what age video games were less for fun and more for competition.

"Yeah, as if you're going to win. I'm in second and I'll catch up with you without even trying." One of the other players growled, despite being in fifth place at the moment. He pressed down harder on the buttons as if that was somehow miraculously going to help.

Wendy let out a loud chortle.

"Shut up! It's true!" He insisted, becoming red in the face.

After a few moments of awkward, tense silence except for the music from the game, music from the party, outside conversations, and the mashing of buttons, Wendy made a slightly distressed noise.

"Aw, guys... Robbie's still in last. I feel awful now." She pouted. "I'm so sorry, man. You can get me back next round, I swear."

Robbie felt his face grow warm. He wasn't sure if it was because he was embarrassed she pointed it out, or happy she had apologized. He thought for a moment, then nodded and shrugged. "It's not really a big deal. It's just a game."

He tried his best to seem unaffected, but inside it was like a weight had been lifted from his chest. None of the others were picking on him, but instead Wendy was taking the blame for how bad he was at this game. Yeah, she had distracted him in the beginning, but there was no reason he couldn't have at least caught up with some of the computer players by now. Truth was, he really just sucked. Her apology, whether or not it embarrassed him, still made him feel slightly accepted and cared about by this girl he'd just met. And it felt breathtaking in a number of ways.

Mere moments before Wendy could cross the finish line, Robbie suddenly got the idea to find a way to distract her. Sure, whatever he did wouldn't completely disrupt her game, and he knew it likely wouldn't affect her being in first place, but he did want to try to 'get her back' in some way. He thought about simply bumping into her, but he knew that would hardly phase her. He had to do something more elaborate. Something a tiny bit more thought out.

He glanced over at her again, this time his eyes lingering on the reflection the screen was casting on her bright red hair, and suddenly had an idea...

Wendy was grinning happily, proud of her apparent victory, but was cut short.

Robbie, without much thought, despite his idea to have a well thought out plan, grabbed one of her pigtails and yanked. He pulled a bit harder than expected, and winced as he realized it.

The next few seconds went by so quickly they seemed like either a dream, or just a figment of his imagination. The other players didn't notice, but Wendy's eyes opened wide in shock and slight pain. But this pain quickly bubbled into a wild, spontaneous burst of anger.

Robbie suddenly felt a sickly burst of panic in the pit of his stomach as he saw the look in her eyes.

Without skipping a beat, Wendy turned to Robbie and decked him in the face, her other hand still on the controller. Her fingers cracked loudly as they came in contact with a mixture of his lip and chin, causing a dramatic and shocking affect.

Although it wasn't as hard as Wendy could punch, it still felt like he'd been hit in the face with a metal bat.

With a loud grunt of surprise as the pain spread through his jaw and mouth, Robbie tottered to the ground, dropping his controller to hold the inflicted area. He could taste blood, and he was fairly certain one of his teeth had fallen out and into the pit between the other teeth and his bottom lip.

Seemingly without a care in the world, almost as if she didn't realize what she had just done, Wendy crossed the finish line in first and smiled triumphantly.

The other players were silent and motionless in pure bewilderment, slowly putting their controllers on the ground and letting the computer players pass them.

For Robbie, everything seemed to be in slow motion. The bass of the music was pulsing in the back of his head and hitting him in the jaw with its rhythm over and over. Every time he closed his eyes it felt like hours were passing. He began to wonder if he was seriously hurt or just shocked and embarrassed, but he wasn't focused enough to come to a conclusion.

The whole party suddenly came to a pause, gathering around the couch to catch a glimpse of Robbie's face. Some gasped or laughed quietly, but few people made much of a commotion.

"What?" Wendy asked, looking at the two other players' shocked faces, completely oblivious.

A tear slid down Robbie's face as the blood gushed out from his lip, warm and sticky on his chin.

Well, so much for being accepted.


	5. Chapter 5: Love Lies Bleeding

Robbie lay on the floor, his hand tightly clenched around his lower lip and jaw. He felt like he was in an abyss, falling forever in the darkness, his fate unknown. His eyes were closed, but it almost seemed like the pain was radiating in a wave around him and pooling behind his eyelids. Not just there, however, as pain also seemed to be shooting out from his lip, for obvious reasons. He still wasn't sure what was up with his tooth. He definitely felt something behind his lip, but maybe it was nothing to worry about. He hoped it was nothing to worry about. He already had a feeling he'd need braces, and he didn't want to put even more of a dent in his grandparent's finances with his dental problems. He thought about using his fingers to fish out whatever was in his mouth and find out what it was, but they were already covered in blood and he really had no interest in moving at the moment. Whatever it was could wait.

He began wondering what his grandparents would say if they thought he'd been in a fight...Would they believe him if he told them the truth about what really happened? Would they actually think that a lanky little lumberjack redhead had punched him for pulling her hair? Maybe they'd even send him back home to Colorado...His mind was spiraling out of control, every possible bad situation was coming into his head and playing out before being replaced by another. It was like a horror movie medley. He was so scared about how his family would react thinking he'd been in a fight that it nearly distracted him from the pain.

But then, much to his dismay, it came back. The pain surged in his jaw almost like he'd been punched all over again. After what seemed like a millennia, but was truly barely even a minute, Robbie heard Wendy laugh. For a second he wondered if she now knew what she'd done and was laughing at how pathetic he was. Yes, he was lying on the floor crying, but to be fair, he was in a lot of pain. For a pre-teenage girl, the redhead sure could hit hard...even if she wasn't trying to.

"I win!" Wendy cheered, breaking Robbie out of his thoughts and causing his head to pound. She jumped up joyously, her character crossing the finish line as she threw the controller to the plush, carpeted floor. She was so caught up in her win that she didn't notice the bloody-lipped boy lying on the floor beside her.

After she had finished her victory dance, she noticed that the whole party was looking at her. Although she had caught a glimpse of them before, the looks of shock on their faces hadn't registered until now. She then remembered how the other player's were acting, and her face turned red, nearly matching her hair, in a confused embarrassment. She followed everyone's gazes to the floor and her heart sunk into her stomach.

"OH MY GOD." She gasped, kneeling down beside Robbie and putting her hand on his flushed red cheek. "Dude, I am SO sorry...I don't know what happened…I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

Robbie sputtered something in return, but he honestly didn't have the slightest clue what he was trying to say. He was wondering if it was a mixture of "It's okay" and "what is wrong with you?!", but with all the pain concentrated in his lip and jaw it was hard to be sure.

"Umm...what's going on in here?" A voice said from a doorway across the room.

"Wendy punched this kid in the face! I think he's bleeding...yeah, he really is bleeding." A partygoer said, his voice a mixture of concern and entertainment.

Suddenly, Tambry had run to Robbie's side, kneeling down opposite of Wendy. "Robbie! Oh my god...oh my god! Are you okay?"

Robbie tried to shake his head or say no, but all that came out was a groan. Honestly, he was still shocked about the whole situation, and all the guests undoubtedly looking at him made him feel even worse. He was more embarrassed than in pain...probably.

"Wendy, what the heck?!" Tambry nearly screamed. "You don't even know him...Why did you punch him?"

Wendy stood up and turned around, tears pooling in her eyes. She normally wasn't one to cry, but all the guilt and shame was hitting her like a crashing wave and she felt like she was drowning. Usually, people's opinions meant nothing to her. She had learned strength and stoicism from her dad, and calmness from her mother. Her father had taught her to seldom show any emotion at all. But from her mother she also learned empathy and responsibility...And with her mom now gone, having passed away shortly after the birth of her youngest brother, she couldn't help but feel like she had done something very wrong.

"I'm so sorry...It was an accident." Wendy whispered, still fighting back tears.

Tambry leaned down and put herself beneath Robbie's arm, attempting to help him up.

"Here, I'll help." Nate said, pushing through the crowd of people that were slowly beginning to break up and go their own ways to resume whatever they'd been doing before the whole punching situation. He got on Robbie's other side, helping Tambry lift him up. "You okay, man? Lee can go get Tam's mom if you want…"

Upon hearing that, a tall blonde boy that had been trailing after Nate nodded and ran up the stairs.

Robbie felt the blood that had been pooling up all over his mouth and on his chin finally pour down. Gravity could be a real jerk sometimes. It began to drip onto the carpet, some of it trailing down on his hoodie. "I...think I….I'm probably...I might be done bleeding now…" He finally opened his eyes, and the few people that were still looking at him caused him to feel cold in pure fear and embarrassment

"Oh my god...the carpet." Tambry groaned. "My mom is going to kill me…"

"Happy birthday, Tambry…" Wendy muttered, sitting down on a couch and shaking her head, still too out of it to really be her usual cheerful, carefree self. She knew she should be helping, but she was so ashamed that she didn't want to be anywhere near Robbie and Tambry...or even Nate, who she barely knew.

"Robbie...Are you okay?" A voice called from upstairs. The warm, caring, and familiar tone caused Robbie to nearly smile, even from afar, despite his injury. A short, heavily makeuped latina woman came rushing down the stairs, seemingly with the whole medicine cupboard overflowing in her arms. She dropped everything beside Robbie and gently took his face into her hands, running her thumb over his bloodied lip. "Oh no...Poor boy, poor thing! ...Tambriah Marie Ochoa!" The maternal anger in Tambry's mother was growing. Robbie had been over to the house many times since he and Tambry had met, and her mother had taken quite a liking to him.

Tambry cringed at the use of her full name. She was nearly certain she heard a few of her friends chuckle, and she shot a glare to the general crowd.

"What on earth happened to him?"

Tambry frowned, becoming a bit embarrassed about the whole situation. "Nothing mom, just..take care of him, okay?"

"Of course! ...Bring the guests upstairs, okay? Ice cream and cake are ready. Everyone, follow Tambriah upstairs!" Mrs. Ochoa said, a grim smile on her face.


End file.
